« All Events Power Lines 25th Anniversary Celebration: Contributors Reading @ Chopin Theatre 05/24/2025 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT Chopin Theatre Add to calendar Google Calendar iCalendar Join the Guild Literary Complex for a special celebration of the Power Lines 25th anniversary! Featuring poetry performances by contributors of the anthology released by Tia...
« All Events Cocktails & Conversation 05/30/2025 @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT Epiphany Center for the Arts Eric Charles May Recently retired, Eric Charles May is an associate professor in the Creative Writing program at Columbia College Chicago and the author of the novel Bedrock Faith, the 2021 One Book, One Chicago selection...
Join us on June 6 at Experimental Station in Woodlawn as we remember Black Americans killed by police violence and honor the memory of Ronald Browne, lead researcher and one of the originators of the SAY THEIR NAMES project. Join us for food and drinks, a demonstration of the new and database, live art-making, and the presentation of the...
Join us for an unforgettable celebration on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 2pm as we honor the incredible legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks and the generations of Black female poets who continue her powerful tradition. Location: National Public Housing Museum919 S. Ada St., Chicago, Illinois 60607 The Living Legacy list shines a spotlight on the phenomenal...
TRANSVENGENCE VOL. 8: LIBERATION BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY Host: Joss Barton Performers: Dutchesz Gemini Hi Bitch! The gorgeous and gifted Dutchesz Gemini is a Chicago based drag and performance artist, DJ, and event host. Her nectareous and high drama presentations take inspiration from ballroom and the worldwide queer underground, with music selections informed by Chicago...
¡Anímate! The Guild Literary Complex is happy to announce that our annual Palabra Pura: One Poet, One Poem tradition is coming this July. All poets are welcome to perform a poem, whether it...
Fountain Square | 1601 Sherman Ave. | Evanston, IL Bookends & Beginnings and the Guild Literary Complex present an afternoon of literary celebration on Saturday, August 23rd, from 12-8pm. Immerse yourself in author readings, hands-on writing workshops, bookmaking, and live music in downtown Evanston. Whether you’re a seasoned writer, an avid reader, or simply looking...
Join us after Printers Row Lit Fest at Podlasie Club for TRANSVENGENCE: VOL. 9! Our regular show this month will close off the literary weekend with special performances following an audience open mic. Host: Joss Barton Featured Artist: Joy Guidry Joy Guidry Joy Guidry is a bassoonist, versatile improviser, performance artist, and composer of experimental, daring...
The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person. Poets/participants have a chance to win a free international trip to compete in the international slam. Hosted by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens "Logan Lu"
The Guild Complex and Haymarket Books feature six new books by six amazing, local self- identifying female authors, centering fiction, poetry and short stories about the magic of water, ancestral legacy, grief, longing and memory. A lineup not to be missed!
Come out and support the 2025 finalists for the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards (GBOMA) as they perform their works live. 10/7, Epiphany Center for the Arts, 6:30 PM. $15/advance, $20/door.
The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person. Poets/participants have a chance to win a free international trip to compete in the international slam. Hosted by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens "Logan Lu"
Join us on Halloween weekend for a presentation of the new anthology by From Beyond Press, Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories. Contributors Jotham Austin II, Bendi Barrett, Tina Jenkins Bell, Priya Chand, Aleco Julius, Sahar Mustafah, and K.A. Roy join the Guild Literary Complex for a reading and signing at Experimental Station. About the Anthology...
Write That Down! invites you to our first “Show and Tell” presented by Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex. SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack; then TELL a story about your artifact and why it’s important to you. The evening will begin with an open mic...
The first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago returns in-person! Participants have a chance to win a trip to a Latin American country (TBD) to compete in the international slam. Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.” Open to poets of all styles and ages! From anyone who is...
Last chance! Join us for the final Slam Diáspora of 2025 - the first and only Spanish language slam in Chicago. Participants have a chance to win a trip to a Latin American country (TBD) to compete in the international slam. Hosted and curated by Crystal Vance Guerra and Luis Tubens “Logan Lu.” Open to...
Join us again at Podlasie Club for our recurring open mic/performance series, TRANSVENGENCE VOL.10! Our regular show this month brings a special holiday twist with guest performances by Celeste, Noa Micaela Fields, and your hostess, Joss Barton. The show will follow a community open mic by audience members. Doors 7PM Open Mic 8PM Performances 9PM...
Write That Down! invites you to the second of our monthly “Show & Tell” series at Podlasie Club in partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex. SHOW a keepsake that’s dear to you, a favorite bit of junk, or a cute knick knack; then TELL a story about your artifact and why it’s meaningful. The evening...
Write That Down! is hosting a very special LOVE themed Show & Tell for February! Bring a keepsake that celebrates love in your life be it platonic, romantic, or some secret third thing. This is the third of our monthly “Show & Tell” series at Podlasie Club in partnership with Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex. SHOW...
Get ready to experience a night of magic and creativity at MOJO&MUSE – where art comes to life! A special speakeasy of art and community. Join us for an exciting night of community and art in the beautiful space of Watershed Art & Ecology. The MOJO&MUSE speakeasy will present an evening of special performances of...
Poetry open mic hosted by Diego Báez. Featuring performances by Angelica Julia Dávila, Loren Maria Guay, and Yazud E. Brito-Milian. Palabra Pura is a bilingual reading series that promotes literary...
Artist Talk: Memory, Erasure, and the Living Archive Interdisciplinary, interdimensional artist, writer, and ritual maker Faylita Hicks joins Walls Turned Sideways Gallery, a nationally recognized space centering art, justice, and incarceration, co-sponsored by the Guild Literary Complex, for an artist talk on memory, erasure, and the politics of archiving. Drawing from Digital Archives of the...
Write That Down! Mag is back with their new Autumn/Winter Issue and we want to celebrate with you! RSVP ON PARTYCLICK Write That Down! is an archival project capturing the particulars of our current moment, both here in Chicago and in the world at large. The goal is to gather everyday artifacts that tell stories...
Celebrate a next generation of writers with us who've recently come out with new books. This showcase aims to highlight local writers and their new/upcoming work. Join us for a community reading featuring local Chicago writers: Meredith Nnoka Noa Fields Meghan Malachi Lisa Low Noel Quiñones Kameryn Carter Natasha Mijares
Write That Down! Mag invites you to “Show & Tell” presented by Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex. Write That Down! is back with a special edition of our Show & Tell series in tandem with Promise(d), the first exhibition curated by Teddy Sandler at Evoke Gallery. This group show explores destiny and manifests a collective dream...
Join us during National Poetry Month for a special online workshop series with 5th Illinois Poet Laureate, Angela Jackson! Poem as Autobiography is a virtual course designed to explore and illuminate moments of life in individual poems and the evolution of the self in invaluable collage. Poem as well as personal myths and folk tales...
The Guild Complex’s 35 Writers to Watch list celebrates the Guild’s 35+ years of innovative programming by featuring local writers whose careers represent the future of the literary arts in Chicago, and whose work reflects the spirit and values of the Guild Complex today. Names were put forth by our folks from our diverse literary...
Join us for an evening of musical and lyrical magic, courtesy of Nikki Patin and friends. Excerpts of Patin’s biomythography, Working On Me, will be performed against a live soundtrack along with new pieces making their debut before a live audience. Presented and produced by Guild Literary Complex and Nikki Patin. Signed copies of Working...
Join the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on her birthday, June 7th. BrooksDay is the Guild Literary Complex’s annual celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks, held every year on June 7th, the anniversary of her birth. Since 2013, BrooksDay has been a marquee event in the Guild’s yearly calendar with...
Join us during Pride Month for TRANSVENGENCE, our bimonthly open mic and performance series, hosted by Joss Barton. Join us during Pride Month for TRANSVENGENCE, our bimonthly open mic and performance series, hosted by Joss Barton. Featured performers TBA.